Fa'atufugaga

Traditional Samoan tattoos and why they're important to us

While tattooing originated centuries before the Pacific Islands were even populated, tatau - the Samoan tattoo artform - has been practiced from the beginning of Samoan history and carries a rich, com...

Lilieni·January 28, 2022

Talafa'asolopito

The Story of Lauli'i, A Daughter of Samoa | Book Review

Do you know how they made the ava (kava) back in the day? I'm talking over 100 years ago... Well, the taupou in the village would break off pieces of the ava root, chew them into a pulp, then spit all...

Lilieni·June 20, 2021

Aganu'u

Matai: A Complicated System of Chiefs

Matai is the Samoan word for leader, or chief, or even (in the poetic sense) father. Samoan society is organized by family, and each family has its own matai titles, which are connected to certain dis...

Lilieni·August 10, 2010